What I Want From Apple

April 1st is also Apple's founding day. I've been using computers and other electronic devices quite extensively throughout my life, and for many years now I've chosen their products because they allow me to do what I want to do more successfully, quickly, conveniently, and predictably. And although I also constantly use all the other ecosystems like Windows, Linux, and Android, I still prefer Apple. And among everything else, specifically the Mac.

Let's put it this way: if I found myself in a desperate situation where I had to stop using everything from Apple except for just one thing, and I had to choose between a MacBook, iPhone, iPad, AirPods, iOS, macOS, etc., I would choose macOS. Fortunately, I'm not facing such a limiting choice, so I use practically all of their products and services, and I have many of them. But that doesn't mean I'm satisfied with everything. Not at all — I have a huge list of complaints. It's just that everyone else's stuff is still much worse.

So, on this significant day of April 1st, here's what I'd like from Apple and what they should prioritize to get back to what made them great:

Apple should focus primarily on what they do best:

• Creating exceptional hardware with regular, meaningful updates

• Developing stable, feature-rich operating systems

• Providing seamless cloud services that work reliably

Apple has spread themselves too thin by maintaining numerous applications that aren't cornerstone-important to their ecosystem:

• Professional apps like Final Cut Pro and Logic should become subsidiaries similar to FileMaker

• Newer apps like Freeform, Clips, Journal, and Events could thrive with dedicated teams outside Apple's core structure. Even the recently acquired PixelMator should remain as a subsidiary

• This separation would force Apple to create better APIs and OS features that would benefit all third-party developers too

Many core components of Apple's ecosystem have stagnated:

• Time Machine hasn't seen significant updates in many years

• QuickTime and Automator still sport outdated interfaces

• Music (the app, i.e., former iTunes) is in a nightmarish state. Bug upon bug, and each update, with each version, makes the app worse

• Search functionality across devices remains frustratingly inadequate (try searching for "DNS" in iPhone settings)

Apple's ecosystem strength comes from vertical integration and overall consistency:

• Feature parity across product lines should be prioritized

• Port and connectivity standards should evolve together across all devices

• Accessories should work seamlessly across the ecosystem without dongles

• User preferences should sync effortlessly between devices

I'd rather see Apple:

• Perfect existing features before adding new ones

• Address long-standing pain points before starting new ventures

• Release products when they're truly ready, not when marketing dictates

• Return to the "it just works" philosophy that built their reputation, including following their own HIG, and "design is how it works, not how it looks," and stop fighting against convenience

Power users have been evangelists and advocates for Apple products for decades:

• Professional needs shouldn't be sacrificed for consumer simplification

• Legacy features should remain available until replacements are truly superior

• Professional hardware should receive regular updates, even if they're incremental or minimal

And generally speaking, they shouldn't "drop the ball." If they have any product, service, or even feature — roughly speaking, anything that has its own name — then an engineer should be assigned to update it, ensure that the latest interface convention changes are used, the latest databases and libraries are utilized, and there's integration with adding services or other functions within their large ecosystem.

Or as they call it, Apple Intelligence — they need to provide APIs and wrappers, but allow other developers in the Apple ecosystem to implement their innovations. For example, they shouldn't embarrass themselves with their pathetic Image Playground — it's trash, the only justification for which they try to claim is that inference happens locally on the devices themselves and therefore you don't have to pay for it. Oh come on — the richest company in the world shouldn't use this cost-saving as an excuse for a crappy product. Now if developers can sell/make AI products that don't require server call expenses — that's cool. But right now, it's all backward.

And all this virtual/augmented reality stuff. The main thing is that the system should be more open, like a Mac and not like an iPad. And we need the ability to use lighter, simpler, cheaper glasses that connect via cable to a Mac (or an iPad, or an iPhone, TV, etc.) like a monitor.

Everything related to search at Apple is in a nightmarish state. This is a core technology like maps, photos, or music — it should be their own and of the highest level.

They need to sort out Apple ID. All this nonsense about people using other companies emails to login is stupid and creates a lot of problems. Accounts are difficult to merge, or separate, rename, migrate etc. Everyone should have an Apple ID from Apple and only from them.